The Doom of La Traviata
Evening stole up out of mysterious lands and came down on thestreets of Paris, and the things of the day withdrew themselves andhid away, and the beautiful city was strangely altered, and with itthe hearts of men. And with lights and music, and in silence and inthe dark, the other life arose, the life that knows the night, anddark cats crept from the houses and moved to silent places, and dimstreets became haunted with dusk shapes. At this hour in a meanhouse, near to the Moulin Rouge, La Traviata died; and her death wasbrought to her by her own sins, and not by the years of God. But thesoul of La Traviata drifted blindly about the streets where she hadsinned till it struck against the wall of Notre Dame de Paris.Thence it rushed upwards, as the sea mist when it beats against acliff, and streamed away to Paradise, and was there judged. And itseemed to me, as I watched from my place of dreaming, when LaTraviata came and stood before the seat of judgment, that cloudscame rushing up from the far Paradisal hills and gathered togetherover the head of God, and became one black cloud; and the cloudsmoved swiftly as shadows of the night when a lantern is swung in thehand, and more and more clouds rushed up, and ever more and more,and, as they gathered, the cloud a little above the head of Godbecame no larger, but only grew blacker and blacker. And the halosof the saints settled lower upon their heads and narrowed and becamepale, and the singing of the choirs of the seraphim faltered andsunk low, and the converse of the blessed suddenly ceased. Then astern look came into the face of God, so that the seraphim turnedaway and left Him, and the saints. Then God commanded, and sevengreat angels rose up slowly through the clouds that carpet Paradise,and there was pity on their faces, and their eyes were closed. ThenGod pronounced judgment, and the lights of Paradise went out, andthe azure crystal windows that look towards the world, and thewindows rouge and verd, became dark and colourless, and I saw nomore. Presently the seven great angels came out by one of Heaven'sgates and set their faces Hellwards, and four of them carried theyoung soul of La Traviata, and one of them went on before and one ofthem followed behind. These six trod with mighty strides the long anddusty road that is named the Way of the Damned. But the seventh flewabove them all the way, and the light of the fires of Hell that washidden from the six by the dust of that dreadful road flared on thefeathers of his breast.
Presently the seven angels, as they swept Hellwards, uttered speech.
'She is very young,' they said; and 'She is very beautiful,' theysaid; and they looked long at the soul of La Traviata, looking notat the stains of sin, but at that portion of her soul wherewith shehad loved her sister a long while dead, who flitted now about anorchard on one of Heaven's hills with a low sunlight ever on herface, who communed daily with the saints when they passed that waygoing to bless the dead from Heaven's utmost edge. And as theylooked long at the beauty of all that remained beautiful in her soulthey said: 'It is but a young soul;' and they would have taken herto one of Heaven's hills, and would there have given her a cymbaland a dulcimer, but they knew that the Paradisal gates were clampedand barred against La Traviata. And they would have taken her to avalley in the world where there were a great many flowers and a loudsound of streams, where birds were singing always and church bellsrang on Sabbaths, only this they durst not do. So they swept onwardsnearer and nearer Hell. But when they were come quite close and theglare was on their faces, and they saw the gates already divide andprepare to open outwards, they said: 'Hell is a terrible city, andshe is tired of cities;' then suddenly they dropped her by the sideof the road, and wheeled and flew away. But into a great pink flowerthat was horrible and lovely grew the soul of La Traviata; and ithad in it two eyes but no eyelids, and it stared constantly into thefaces of all the passers-by that went along the dusty road to Hell;and the flower grew in the glare of the lights of Hell, and witheredbut could not die; only, one petal turned back towards the heavenlyhills as an ivy leaf turns outwards to the day, and in the soft andsilvery light of Paradise it withered not nor faded, but heard attimes the commune of the saints coming murmuring from the distance,and sometimes caught the scent of orchards wafted from the heavenlyhills, and felt a faint breeze cool it every evening at the hourwhen the saints to Heaven's edge went forth to bless the dead.
But the Lord arose with His sword, and scattered His disobedientangels as a thresher scatters chaff.
On The Dry Land
Over the marshes hung the gorgeous night with all his wanderingbands of nomad stars, and his whole host of still ones blinked andwatched.
Over the safe dry land to eastward, grey and cold, the first clearpallor of dawn was coming up above the heads of the immortal gods.
Then, as they neared at last the safety of the dry land, Love lookedat the man whom he had led for so long through the marshes, and sawthat his hair was white, for it was shining in the pallor of thedawn.
Then they stepped together on to the land, and the old man sat downweary on the grass, for they had wandered in the marshes for manyyears; and the light of the grey dawn widened above the heads of thegods.
And Love said to the old man, 'I will leave you now.'
And the old man made no answer, but wept softly.
Then Love was grieved in his little careless heart, and he said:'You must not be sorry that I go, nor yet regret me, nor care for meat all.
'I am a very foolish child, and was never kind to you, nor friendly.I never cared for your great thoughts, or for what was good in you,but perplexed you by leading you up and down the perilous marshes.And I was so heartless that, had you perished where I led you, itwould have been nought to me, and I only stayed with you because youwere good to play with.
'And I am cruel and altogether worthless and not such a one as anyshould be sorry for when I go, or one to be regretted, or even caredfor at all.'
And still the old man spoke not, but wept softly; and Love grievedbitterly in his kindly heart.
And Love said: 'Because I am so small my strength has been concealedfrom you, and the evil that I have done. But my strength is great,and I have used it unjustly. Often I pushed you from the causewaythrough the marshes, and cared not if you drowned. Often I mockedyou, and caused others to mock you. And often I led you among thosethat hated me, and laughed when they revenged themselves upon you.
'So weep not, for there is no kindness in my heart, but only murderand foolishness, and I am no companion for one so wise as you, butam so frivolous and silly that I laughed at your noble dreams andhindered all your deeds. See now, you have found me out, and now youwill send me away, and here you will live at ease, and, undisturbed,have noble dreams of the immortal gods.
'See now, here is dawn and safety, and _there_ is darkness and peril.'
Still the old man wept softly.
Then Love said: 'Is it thus with you?' and his voice was grave nowand quiet. 'Are you so troubled? Old friend of so many years, thereis grief in my heart for you. Old friend of perilous ventures, Imust leave you now. But I will send my brother soon to you--mylittle brother Death. And he will come up out of the marshes to you,and will not forsake you, but will be true to you as I have not beentrue.'
And dawn grew brighter over the immortal gods, and the old mansmiled through his tears, which glistened wondrously in theincreasing light. But Love went down to the night and to themarshes, looking backward over his shoulder as he went, and smilingbeautifully about his eyes. And in the marshes whereunto he went, inthe midst of the gorgeous night, and under the wandering bands ofnomad stars, rose shouts of laughter and the sounds of the dance.
And after a while, with his face towards the morning, Death out ofthe marshes came up tall and beautiful, and with a faint smileshadowy on his lips, and lifted in his arms the lonely man, beinggentle with him, and, murmuring with his low deep voice an ancientsong, carried him to the morning to the gods.
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